Dressing aids

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a dressing aid ( 10 ) for putting on an article of clothing provided with at least one opening. Said aid comprises the following components: (a) a mounting section ( 17   a,    17   b ) for at least partially mounting the article of clothing, (b) an expansion mechanism ( 11   a,    11   b,    14 ) for expanding the mounting section, thus widening the opening of the mounted article of clothing, and (c) locking means ( 24, 25 ), which prevent the contraction of the mounting part once the article of clothing has been mounted. The invention also relates to a dressing aid ( 90 ) for taking off an article of clothing of this type and to a set comprising a dressing aid ( 10 ) for putting on and an aid ( 90 ) for taking off said clothing.

The invention refers to dressing aids according to one of the preambles of the independent claims.

People who are unable to bend down, e.g. due to troubles with their backs, have great difficulties putting on or taking off pieces of clothing such as e.g. socks and therefore need a dressing aid to assist them or possibly actually allow them to dress independently.

A dressing aid for putting on a sock is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,453. The dressing aid comprises two posts that are each provided with a loop and connected to each other by means of a hinge. To put on a sock, the latter is slipped on the two loops and subsequently stretched by spreading apart the two posts such that the foot may be slipped into the opening of the sock.

A drawback of this dressing aid is that the procedure requires a substantial effort for spreading the two posts and therefore donning a sock turns out to be difficult. Another drawback is that when the sock has been put on, the bows and the hinge are on the side of the fibula and therefore the foot needs to step over the hinge to bring the two rods to the front. Based on this prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide a dressing aid that eliminates these drawbacks at least partly and that facilitates changing articles of clothing.

This object is attained by a dressing aid as indicated in independent claim 1. Besides another dressing aid, the remaining claims indicate preferred embodiments as well as a set of dressing aids.

The dressing aid of the invention offers the advantage that changing clothes is facilitated and in particular that the effort required for taking off resp. putting on an article of clothing is relatively small. Further advantages will be apparent from the following description.

Exemplary embodiments of the invention will be explained in more detail hereinafter with reference to the drawings, where:

FIG. 1 shows a top view of a first embodiment of a dressing aid for putting on articles of clothing having at least one opening,

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the dressing aid of FIG. 1 while putting on a sock,

FIG. 3 shows a top view of a second embodiment of a dressing aid for putting on articles of clothing having one or two openings,

FIG. 4 shows a side view of a dressing aid for taking off hosiery, and

FIG. 5 shows a front view of the dressing aid of FIG. 4.

1ST EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a dressing aid in the form of a donning aid 10 that is particularly suitable for putting on hosiery such as e.g. socks.

The donning aid comprises two legs 11 a and 11 b that are hinged to each other by a connecting member 14. Connecting member 14 is cuboidal and comprises a recess through which the respective ends of legs 11 a and 11 b are passed. The ends of legs 11 a and 11 b are provided with respective sleeves 12 a resp. 12 b through which a screw extends which is fastened to connecting member 14. This support of the two legs 11 a and 11 b allows to open and close legs 11 a and 11 b, thereby forming an expanding mechanism.

Connecting member 14 further comprises two angled plastic parts 15 a and 15 b that are squeezed between the ends of legs 11 a and 11 b and the interior of connecting member 14. In this manner, the moving of legs 11 a and 11 b is cushioned such that they cannot loosely move back and forth when donning aid 10 is e.g. being carried about or stowed away.

Legs 11 a and 11 b comprise respective bows 17 a and 17 b having a circular cross-section to minimize the risk of injuries while putting on an article of clothing. Bows 17 a and 17 b together form the mounting portion, on which the article of clothing is slipped that is to be donned.

Legs 11 a and 11 b are each provided with two recesses 18 a, 19 a and 18 b, 19 b, respectively, in each of which a respective end of bows 17 a, 17 b is inserted. Bows 17 a and 17 b are removable, thereby facilitating storage of donning aid 10. Also it is possible to insert bows of different shapes and sizes, e.g. for a better adaptation to the shape and size of a foot or of a garment that is to be donned.

Bows 17 a and 17 b are essentially U-shaped as seen laterally. The height of bows 17 a and 17 b approximately corresponds to the ankle level. The respective front ends 20 a and 20 b of bows 17 a, 17 b are bent at right angles approximately, so that the two bow center portions 21 a and 21 b, as seen from above, converge in the closed position of legs 11 a and 11 b and are approximately parallel in the half-open position of legs 11 a and 11 b.

As appears in FIG. 1, legs 11 a and 11 b have a slightly angled shape so that leg center portions 13 a and 13 b, to which bows 17 a and 17 b are attached, are approximately parallel to each other in the closed position of legs 11 a and 11 b.

By the selected shape of legs 11 a and 11 b and of bows 17 a and 17 b it is achieved that mounting portion 17 a, 17 b provides a uniform expansion of the openings both of garments having small openings and large openings.

Connecting member 14 is provided with one or a plurality of rectangular plates 24 each having a hole at their center and serving as locking means. Through the holes extends a screw having a rotatable wheel 25, the end of the screw engaging in a thread of connecting member 14. Plates 24 are thus rotatable about their holes and lockable in a given orientation by means of locking screw 25, thereby allowing to spread legs 11 a and 11 b accordingly. Thus, locked plates 24 prevent that legs 11 a and 11 b are folded together, when the garment is slipped on bows 17 a and 17 b and subsequently donned. Unfolding of legs 11 a and 11 b is prevented by the attached garment itself as bows 17 a and 17 b are under load due to its elasticity. since the spreading angle of legs 11 a and 11 b is continuously adjustable, donning aid 10 is optimally adjustable to almost any foot and almost any ankle shape. Although plates 24 prevent the folding of legs 11 a and 11 b, they do not prevent their unfolding. Legs 11 a and 11 b are therefore capable of being further expanded while putting on a garment and may thus adapt to the size of the leg up to and past the knee.

Also, instead of rectangular plates 24, a plate having an oval shape may be used such that legs 11 a and 11 b are more or less expanded depending on the position of the plate.

Instead of plates 24 and locking screw 25, it is also possible to use a locking member that is displaceable on an intermediate part (similar to intermediate part 66 and locking member 79 in FIG. 3) to lock legs 11 a and 11 b in a determined position.

It is also possible to use ratchets as locking means, the ends of legs 11 a and 11 b being rigidly connected to a respective ratchet such that legs 11 a and 11 b may not be folded under load but only unfolded. As explained below, FIG. 3 shows this variant of the locking means in the form of ratchets 82 a and 82 b.

Further it is conceivable to lock legs 11 a and 11 b in a given position by means of clamping locks.

Open ends 26 a and 26 b of legs 11 a and 11 b are rounded, e.g. by means of plastic parts that are fitted on the leg ends. The rounded ends 26 a and 26 b allow donning aid 10 to be moved across a surface with little resistance, so that it is also possible e.g. for a person lying in bed to use the donning aid for putting on the piece of clothing.

Optionally, a telescopic design of open ends 26 a and 26 b may be provided such that legs 11 a and 11 b are extensible in order to be able to put on garments of larger sizes as well.

As appears in FIG. 2, a handle 28 is provided for holding and guiding donning aid 10. Handle 28 has a telescopic configuration, thereby allowing its length to be adjusted to the size of the user and locked by means of a conical rotational lock (not shown). The end of handle 28 is attachable to a connecting piece 31 that is connected to a hinge 30 and lockable by means of a quick fastener 32. It is thereby possible to remove handle 28 e.g. for stowing away donning aid 10.

As appears in FIG. 2, the lateral parts of bows 17 a and 17 b are arranged approximately orthogonally to legs 11 a and 11 b so that no parts hinder the foot while slipping into the sock.

Hinge 30 with connecting piece 31, which is connected to connecting member 14, allows to adjust the angle of inclination between handle 28 and legs 11 a and 11 b. A given inclination can be fixed by means of a clamping lock 33 provided on hinge 30.

Hinge 30 is preferably so designed that handle 28 may be swung down such that it will not interfere while a garment is being slipped on bows 17 a, 17 b. It is e.g. conceivable to use a fork joint for hinge 30 so that handle 28 is pivotable beyond 180 degrees, e.g. up to 270 degrees.

Optionally, donning aid 10 may further be provided with a catch hook 36 fastened to the head of connecting member 14 by means of an articulation 37. Catch hook 36 serves for picking up garments that are e.g. lying on the floor without need for the user to bend down. To this end, the catch hook is first flipped open, as shown by the chain dotted lines 38 in FIG. 2, moved toward the garment, and donning aid 10 is pushed against the floor such that catch hook 36 snaps shut, thereby clamping the garment.

Donning aid 10 is used for donning e.g. a sock 39 as follows. According to the size of sock 39, the spreading angle between the two legs 11 a and 11 b and thus between the two bow center portions 21 a and 21 b is adjusted by rotating plates 24 in such a manner that sock 39 may still be slipped on bows 17 a and 17 b but is nevertheless slightly extended. It will be noted that sock 39 is slipped on bows 17 a and 17 b such that the inside of sock 39 is turned outside.

Sock 39 is then pushed down until at least the ankle portion of the sock appears and essentially rests on bow center portions 21 a and 21 b.

Handle 28 is adjusted in length and inclination and locked. Then the user brings donning aid 10 to his foot and introduces the latter into sock 39. To assist, donning aid 10 may simultaneously be moved toward the knee, thereby unrolling sock 39 on the calf without wrinkles.

A user may apply donning aid 10 both standing up and sitting or lying down, however requiring that both hands are functioning.

Among others, donning aid 10 offers the following advantages:

Donning aid 10 may be used for putting on different kinds of garments, e g. garments having one opening such as socks, skirts, etc., or more than one opening such as briefs, pants, etc.

Since the garment may at least partly be slipped on mounting portion 17 a, 17 b, it is prevented that the garment may fall down while introducing the corresponding body part. Thus, even if the foot should be a little moist, thereby making it more difficult to put on a sock, it is ensured that the sock is securely retained by mounting portion 17 a, 17 b while the foot is introduced and is subsequently unrolled along the leg with decreasing resistance.

The joint action of locking means 24, 25 and of expanding mechanism 11 a, 11 b prevents that mounting portion 17 a, 17 b folds together under load but does not prevent its expansion. In this manner it is achieved that a garment that is being donned is always well tensioned while mounting portion 17 a, 17 b may adapt to the size of the corresponding body part by its expansion.

Hinge 30 allows to swing handle 28 down so that it will not hinder the user while attaching a garment that is to be donned to mounting portion 17 a, 17 b. Thus, the user may e.g. place donning aid 10 on his thighs while sitting down, swing down handle 28 and squeeze it between his legs and slip the garment on mounting portion 17 a, 17 b. Handle 28 is subsequently swung back up for putting on the garment. This procedure is also particularly advantageous for corpulent users.

Furthermore, with regard to expanding mechanism 11 a, 11 b, it is also conceivable to use donning aid 10 to assist in donning garments for the upper part of the body, such as shirts or jackets. Optionally, donning aid 10 may further be provided with additional retaining means such as clamps, thereby allowing an additional retention of a garment slipped on the mounting portion. In this case, donning aid 10 is e.g. fastened to a post so that it is positioned at a suitable height and the user may slip on the garment without bending down.

2ND EMBODIMENT

FIG. 3 shows a second embodiment of a dressing aid in the form of a donning aid 40 that is suitable for putting on pieces of clothing having one or two openings.

Similarly to the first embodiment, the donning aid according to FIG. 3 comprises two legs 41 a and 41 b for forming an expanding mechanism, one end of each leg being hinged to a connecting member 44. Legs 41 a and 41 b are interconnected by a spring 45 to prevent dangling. Legs 41 a and 41 b comprise respective bows 47 a and 47 b whose ends are inserted in circular recesses 48 a, 49 a and 48 b, 49 b of respective legs 41 a, 41 b. The open ends 56 a and 56 b of legs 41 a and 41 b are provided with rounded plastic parts so that they easily slide on a surface.

Undressing aid 40 further comprises a U-shaped intermediate portion 66 that is fixed to connecting member 44.

Intermediate portion 66 is provided with two bows 67 a and 67 b that are inserted in round recesses 68 a, 69 a and 68 b, 69 b, respectively.

Bows 47 a, 47 b, 67 a, and 67 b have a circular cross-section and are substantially U-shaped when viewed laterally.

Bows 47 a and 47 b on legs 41 a and 41 b are slightly offset from bows 67 a and 67 b on intermediate portion 66, as shown in FIG. 3 by chain dotted lines 46. In the case of a medium spreading angle of the two legs 41 a and 41 b, according to the solid lines in FIG. 3, the bow center portions 51 a, 51 b and 71 a, 71 b are at the same height approximately. Thus it is ensured that the openings e.g. of underpants mounted on bows 51 a, 51 b, 71 a, 71 b do not form a slot but are extended as evenly as possible.

Optionally, an extensible design of open ends 56 a and 56 b of legs 41 a and 41 b may be provided. Thus, as shown by the chain dotted lines 76 in FIG. 3, it is possible to lengthen legs 41 a and 41 b while they are widely spread for putting on garments of larger sizes. Legs 41 a and 41 b may further be provided with retaining clamps 77 for fastening e.g. the waistband of a pair of pants or a skirt.

Intermediate portion 66 comprises a locking member 79 which is attached to and displaceable along intermediate portion 66 and lockable by means of a clamping lock 80. The two ends of locking member 79 are provided with pins 81 a and 81 b on which legs 41 a and 41 b are resting. Depending on the position of locking member 79, legs 41 a and 41 b are more or less spread apart. While locking member 79 prevents that the pairs of bows 51 a, 71 a resp. 51 b, 71 b contract when a garment is slipped on, they may still unfold. Legs 41 a and 41 b may thus adapt to the size of the legs while dressing aid 40 is moved up along the legs.

FIG. 3 also shows another variant of the locking means according to which the ends of legs 41 a and 41 b are fixed to respective ratchets 82 a and 82 b (toothed crown with a pawl), thereby preventing that legs 41 a and 41 b are folded under load. Ratchets 82 a and 82 b may be used in conjunction with or instead of locking member 80.

Similarly as in the first embodiment, connecting member 44 comprises a hinge 30 with a connecting piece 31 and a clamping lock 33, thereby allowing to attach a length adjustable handle by means of a quick fastener.

Mounting portion 40 illustrated in FIG. 3 comprises two pairs of bows 51 a, 71 a and 51 b, 71 b so that garments having one or two openings may be slipped on. Donning aid 40 generally allows putting on all garments for the lower part of the body, such as e.g. socks, knee-length socks, stockings, underskirts, skirts, pants, panty hoses, underpants, briefs, etc.

To put on socks, donning aid 40 is used similarly as donning aid 10 according to the first embodiment. Thus, the user slips the socks on the two pairs of bows 51 a, 71 a resp. 51 b, 71 b and steps into the opened socks with his feet.

For putting on a panty hose, for example, locking member 79 is locked in a corresponding position to spread legs 41 a and 41 b and the legs of the panty hose are slipped on the pairs of bows 51 a, 71 a and 51 b, 71 b about evenly until their ankle portions are visible. Then the user introduces one leg after another into the panty hose and moves donning aid 40 toward his trunk past his knees. Since legs 41 a and 41 b are only resting on pins 81 a and 81 b, they may spread further and thereby adapt to the shape of the legs whose circumference increases upwards.

Putting on e.g. a pair of pants is achieved by spreading legs 41 a and 41 b according to the circumference of the pants and by slipping each of the two legs of pants on a pair of bows 51 a, 71 a resp. 51 b, 71 b. As the case may be, the leg ends 56 a and 56 b are extended and the waistband is additionally secured by retaining clamps 77. Then the user introduces one leg after another into the legs of pants and moves donning aid 40 upwards until he can seize the waistband with his arms.

3RD EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 4 and 5 show another embodiment of a dressing aid that serves for taking off e.g. a sock (undressing aid). Undressing aid 90 comprises a curved center portion 91 whose ends 92 a and 92 b are provided with plastic parts having a rounded shape.

Attached to center portion 91 is a connecting piece 93 having a handle 94 for holding and guiding the undressing aid screwed thereto. It is also possible to provide the center portion with a quick fastener 32 as described above such that one and the same handle 28 may be connected to dressing aids 10, 40, 90 according to the three described embodiments.

Two holders 95 a and 95 b that are bent forward are screwed to center portion 91. Holders 95 a, 95 b are connected to respective elongate guide portions 96 a and 96 b having an approximately mirror-symmetrical shape. Respective guide portions 96 a and 96 b have a substantially circular contour 97 a resp. 97 b in the shape of a six whose surface is curved similarly to a shoe horn. Guide portions 96 a and 96 b together form a guide member having a central recess 98. Also, guide portions 96 a resp. 96 b are mounted in a spread configuration such that they converge but a space with no material is left in the middle between the two guide port ions approximately.

For removing a stocking that is being worn, guide member 96 a, 96 b is inserted between the leg and the stocking such that the opening of the stocking is enlarged by the spread guide portions 96 a and 96 b. The latter are then pushed toward the heel, recess 98 being moved along the Achilles tendon approximately while the stocking is pulled off. Since the respective lower parts of guide portions 96 a and 96 b are a little larger than their upper parts, the removed stocking will not fall down but remains caught on guide members 96 a, 96 b. Thus the stocking can be brought to the hand without the need for the user to bend down.

Suitable materials for the manufacture of dressing aids 10, 40, 90 are synthetic materials and metals while light materials are preferred to keep the mass of the dressing aids as low as possible. Handle 28 resp. 94 as well as bows 17 a, 17 b, 47 a, 47 b, 67 a, and 67 b are removable so that dressing aids 10, 40, 90 may be carried along (e.g. in a plane) as a compact hand luggage. 

1-15. (canceled)
 16. Dressing aid for putting on an article of clothing having at least one opening, the dressing aid comprising a mounting portion for at least partially slipping on the article of clothing and an expanding mechanism for expanding the mounting portion, thereby widening the opening of the mounted article of clothing, characterized in that the dressing aid comprises locking means which prevent the contraction of the mounting portion while the article of clothing is mounted.
 17. Dressing aid according to claim 16, wherein the expanding mechanism comprises a connecting member and two legs that are hinged to the connecting member.
 18. Dressing aid according to claim 16, wherein the mounting portion comprises bows that are preferably essentially U-shaped.
 19. Dressing aid according to claim 17, wherein the legs are each provided with a bow which is preferably removable.
 20. Dressing aid according to claim 16, wherein the mounting portion comprises an intermediate portion comprising two bows thereby allowing to mount particularly an article of clothing having two openings to the mounting portion, the bows preferably being U-shaped and more preferably removable.
 21. Dressing aid according to claim 16, wherein the locking means comprise at least one of the following components: a locking element that is rotatable and lockable; a locking element that is displaceable and lockable; a ratchet; and a clamping lock.
 22. Dressing aid according to claim 17, wherein the ends of the legs are rounded so that they can be moved across a surface with little resistance while putting on the article of clothing.
 23. Dressing aid according to claim 17, wherein the legs comprise an extensible end so that the length of the is adaptable to the size of the opening of the article of clothing
 24. Dressing aid according to claim 16, wherein it comprises a handle connected to the expanding mechanism for holding and guiding the dressing aid, the handle having at least one, preferably all of the following features: the handle length is adjustable; the handle is connected to the expanding mechanism by means of a hinge; and the handle is removably connected to the expanding mechanism by means of a fastener.
 25. Dressing aid according to claim 16, wherein it further comprises a catch hook allowing to claim the article of clothing in order to pick it up from the floor before dressing, for example.
 26. Dressing aid according to claim 16, wherein the expanding mechanism comprises retaining means allowing an additional attachment of the mounted article of clothing.
 27. Dressing aid for removing an article of clothing having at least one opening, more particularly an article of hosiery, wherein the dressing aid comprises two spread guide portions for expanding the opening so that the article of clothing that is being worn can be removed by introducing the guide portions into the opening.
 28. Dressing aid according to claim 27, wherein the guide portions are rigidly connected to a center portion and a recess is provided between the guide portions which cna be moved toward the heel along the Achilles' tendon essentially for removing particularly an article of hosiery.
 29. Dressing aid according to claim 27, wherein the guide portions have an approximately mirror-symmetrical shape with an essentially circular contour. 